Recurrence
by kakashifan9
Summary: Hizashi's birthday is in a week and he's excited to celebrate it with his best friend and secret crush, but things don't go exactly as planned when Shouta is hit with an age regression quirk.
1. Introduction

Hizashi had a list of things he had been looking forward to. He was excited to stop by the department store to buy a new pair of brand name sunglasses that had been out of stock for a month. He couldn't wait to play the new set list he had compiled for his radio show. And most of all he was excited to celebrate his birthday with his best friend in a week.

When Shouta had suggested going out to the new barbeque place Hizashi had been incessantly talking about, Hizashi had nearly tackled him down with an enthusiastic hug.

"Looks like someone's taking me out on a date for my birthday then," Hizashi had joked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Shouta merely grunted, prying his best friend off of him. Hizashi cheerfully laughed at his half-joke as he watched the Erasure hero attempt to unwrinkle his black shirt. His chest grew tight when Shouta neither confirmed nor denied his statement.

As cliché as it sounded, Hizashi had been pining after his best friend for a while now. It had been three years since they graduated high school and had joined separate hero agencies, during which they decided to also become roommates. Shouta had laid down quite a few logical explanations as to why they should share an apartment, all the boring stuff like saving money and being able to keep tabs on one another. Hizashi inconspicuously added "secretly having a giant crush since the second year of high school" onto his own personal reasons for agreeing to the idea.

In fact, Hizashi was hoping that a few beers after his "kind-of-but-not-really" date would finally get him loose enough to tell Shouta about his feelings.

Yes, the voice hero had a lot of things to look forward to.

Getting a call from a private number asking if he was Shouta's emergency contact person, however, was not one of them.

It was one in the morning by the time he parked in the hospital parking lot. He hastily locked his car and dashed inside, running his hand through his hair as he tried to take a few deep breaths to keep his suffocating thoughts at bay. He quietly cursed himself for hanging up on the phone too quickly after getting the address to the hospital, only knowing that Shouta was "in stable condition" and "generally unharmed".

After getting directed to Shouta's room number, Hizashi used the tremendous will power and patience he had acquired at UA to not run up four flights of stairs and slam open the hospital room door.

"Whose there?" he heard a small voice ask immediately after he entered the room.

Hizashi squinted his eyes in the dimly lit room. As his hand searched for a nearby light switch, he noted that the voice was… different than Shouta's naturally low, apathetic tone, but somehow it was also strangely familiar. Finally flicking the lights on, the voice hero nearly choked at the sight of his best friend.

Sitting not even five feet away from him was a small boy with a short tuff of black hair, grey eyes narrowed at him in suspicion, flashing red for a brief second.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Hizashi weakly laughed, holding up his hands to pacify the unsettling glare. When the boy gave a soft huff, Hizashi responded with a nervous smile, his eyes shifting to examine the kid in front of him.

"You are… Shouta, right? I did get the right room number, right?" Hizashi quickly dipped his head outside of the room to check the number and name card. Sure enough, "Aizawa Shouta" was neatly printed on the label.

"Who are you? Are you one of the nurses?" Shouta asked, his small hands anxiously twisting his large blanket. He pulled it closer to his chest when Hizashi didn't answer immediately.

"You… you don't know who I am?" Hizashi nearly whispered, his mouth going dry when his best friend hesitantly shook his head.

Hizashi wanted to pinch himself on the cheek to check if he was really awake. He excused himself with a forced smile, softly closed the door, and pulled out his cellphone. He quickly scrolled through his emergency contacts and clicked "Tsukauchi Naomasa", tapping his foot as he waited for him to connect.

"Hello, this is Tsukauchi."

"Hey, Tsukauchi-san? It's Present Mic. I hung up a little too hastily the last time we spoke so I'm a little in the dark about Eraserhead's condition. Could you fill me in?" Hizashi chuckled sheepishly, peeking through the window to see Shouta still staring at him. "Was he hit by some kind of age regression quirk or am I just staring at a kid who looks eerily like my best friend?"

"I'm afraid it's the latter. Eraserhead was working on a case that involved a villain exchanging illegal arms. He informed us of his location, but by the time we had arrived, it looked like he had been hit by the age regression quirk."

"That's strange of Shou— I mean Eraser to be caught off guard by this mission. I've heard him mention this case once or twice in passing," Hizashi narrowed his eyes at the floor. "Was there more than one villain on the scene?"

"Our intel told us only one villain should have been present that night, but we have the same suspicions."

Hizashi made a soft "tsk", burrowing his free hand into his pocket. "Is Eraser in any immediate danger? Will the villains come back for him?"

"We don't have the answer to that unfortunately. It would be best to have an escort watch him for now just to keep him safe."

"That's not a problem. He already lives with me so I'll take care of him in the meantime," Hizashi sighed. He mentally counted all the items he would need to buy to accommodate for tiny Shouta; clothes, a toothbrush, new shoes, and maybe some toys to keep him preoccupied.

"In any case, we're investigating the nature of the age regression quirk to undo the effects," Naomasa continued. "Powers like these aren't usually permanent and more so if we can locate the villain and have Eraserhead cancel its effects."

"Alright, keep me informed about your progress," Hizashi said, his tone low and stern before muttering a "thanks" and closing his cellphone.

Groaning into his hand, Hizashi gave a heavy sigh. Shouta is safe, he reminded himself. He doesn't remember you, but he's **safe**.

Hizashi peeked through the window again and sure enough, Shouta was still glaring at him even more intensely than he had been five minutes ago. Hizashi gave a weak smile, remembering how his best friend always reacted this way in high school whenever he felt threatened, whether it be from anticipating combat training or being sent to the principal's office for falling asleep in class.

But right now, Shouta wasn't even a teenager. He was a toddler, who was more than likely intimidated and scared, especially since he knew even less than Hizashi did at the moment. Waking up in a foreign hospital room surrounded by people you weren't familiar with would do that to you, Hizashi thought with a sigh.

Hizashi couldn't make this about himself. It had to be about Shouta. He needed to protect his friend, let him know that there was someone he could trust, someone that would keep him safe. It took all of high school until Shouta felt that way about him. Hopefully the battle would be easier with a younger version.

"For my sake, I sure hope it is," Hizashi bitterly chuckled as he stepped back into the hospital room. Shouta immediately straightened his back when he opened the door, undoubtedly studying his every movement.

"Sorry, why don't we try this again," Hizashi coughed, pushing up his glasses and striking a pose that he hoped made him look like a "cool hero". (He had practiced this in front of Shouta before and was told that he looked "extremely lame", which were the exact words he had used in retaliation to describe Shouta's sleeping bag.)

"Hello, my cute little listener! I'm the famous boy's hero Present Mic and I was just informed about your situation!" he nearly screamed, dawning his hero persona in an attempt to convince both parties that everything was going to be alright. "I'm still in the dark about a few things, but I have a few questions to ask. Would you mind answering them for me?"

Shouta's grip on his blanket loosened, his eyes shining a little more brightly. "Are you really a hero?"

Hizashi responded with a thumbs-up and an enthusiastic nod. Being shown admiration from someone he looked up to was a really good boost for his own ego, even if Shouta was currently just a kid.

"You don't look like one though," he muttered, noting how plain Hizashi looked in his civilian clothes.

"Sorry that my performance is lacking, but I promise you that I'm a professional!" Hizashi had been in a rush to get to the hospital in the middle of the night, choosing to arrive in a plain jacket and jeans with his hair tied into a loose ponytail in contrast to his usual hero outfit. "I promise I'll show you my really cool and awesome hero costume later!"

Pulling up a chair to sit next to Shouta's bed, Hizashi wore his most charming smile and gestured to his friend. "But for now, let's start off with something simple. Can you tell me how old you are?"

Shouta paused and stared at his hands. He hesitantly held up three fingers, changing the number to four after giving it some thought.

Hizashi felt his chest grow tight from the innocent gesture, only now realizing how adorable his best friend looked. He resisted the sudden urge to pinch his cheeks and embrace him into a tight hug.

"Good answer!" Hizashi encouraged, beaming when Shouta shyly fidgeted from the praise. "Could you tell me what you remember? Anything that happened before you arrived here or maybe something that happened the day before?"

Shouta pouted his lower lip, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration as he played with the blanket's edges. He eventually shook his head.

"Nothing, huh?" Hizashi breathed in disappointment. "Do you remember anyone? Any friends? Family?"

"Don't have any friends," Shouta said, shrugging in response. "I never get to see mom. Don't know where she is."

"Then your dad?"

Shouta visibly tensed, glancing around the room as if he would appear at any second.

"He doesn't like me talking about him," Shouta quietly muttered, gripping his blanket more tightly.

Hizashi's eyes narrowed. He recalled Shouta mentioning that he was never close to his family, his father being a negligent and abusive guardian. After he had been accepted into UA through a scholarship and moved into the dorms, he never heard from him again and as things were, he intended to keep it that way.

"You don't need to worry about him," Hizashi reassured. "I'm going to look after you for a while."

"What do you mean? Did you talk to him? Did something happen?" Shouta asked in confusion, shaking slightly as he glanced at the window as if to see if his father was secretly standing outside listening to their conversation.

"Shouta," Hizashi weakly smiled, his heart aching as he reached out to gently squeeze the small boy's shoulder. "It's complicated right now, but I promise that you're safe. I haven't talked to your dad and I don't plan to, but for now I've been entrusted to take care of you."

Shouta's eyes shifted from Hizashi's eyes to the hand on his shoulder. He bit his lower lip, turning his gaze to a small tear in the blanket he had most likely made from constantly fiddling with it.

"You don't need to tell me anything that you're not ready to talk about," Hizashi reassured, his green eyes softening when Shouta cautiously met his gaze. "Let me just ask one more question. Is that okay?"

Shouta meekly nodded.

"Do you like heroes?"

Shouta blinked, clearly caught off guard by the question. He nodded again, this time with slightly more eagerness.

"Good answer," Hizashi repeated, smiling at the honest response. "As a hero, I want to ensure your safety and comfort. Your support only encourages me to work harder to protect everyone I can, including you, my young listener!"

Hizashi was met with a bewildered expression, which slowly changed into a small awkward smile from the four-year-old child. He returned it with his own genuine smile, relieved that Shouta seemed to trust his hero status.

"Thank you for answering my questions. Let me buy you a drink from the vending machine in return!" Hizashi beamed, standing up and making a show of it by dusting off his jeans. "I could use a coffee right about now."

"I shouldn't," Shouta hesitated, fidgeting slightly.

"Hey, it's my treat!" Hizashi exclaimed. "I really appreciated that smile you gave me just now. Consider it a fair trade!"

Shouta hesitantly pushed the blanket off of himself and slowly climbed out of bed. It was strange seeing the erasure hero this small and vulnerable, barely even coming up to the height of Hizashi's waist. But at the same time, Hizashi found it endearing that this small child was now standing by his side, eyeing his hand, contemplating if he was allowed to hold it.

Hizashi gently took Shouta's hand in his own after noticing his reluctance. The small boy opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, blushing slightly from having his actions so easily read.

"Come on. I don't want you getting lost in here without me by your side," Hizashi cheekily said. "But if you want me to carry you, I could do that, too."

When Hizashi received a quick shake of the head and a firmer grip on his hand, he mentally noted that tiny Shouta was a bit less lazy than his older self. He'll never forget how he had to carry Shouta to his bed when he insisted that it was fine for him to sleep at the front entrance in his sleeping bag.

Walking to the vending machine hand-in-hand, Hizashi eventually did scoop Shouta up into his arms to let him insert the money and choose their drinks. He couldn't help breaking out into a fond smile as he watched Shouta's eyes widen in curiosity as the machine slowly dispensed their drinks with flashing lights. He even had to stop Shouta from diving right into the opening of the dispenser to grab his juice pouch.

They sat at a nearby bench, Hizashi carefully sipping his hot coffee while Shouta chewed the jelly bits from his apple juice pouch, contently swinging his legs back and forth in his seat.

The two sat in comfortable silence until Shouta lowered his drink and turned to face Hizashi.

"What can I do to pay you back?"

Hizashi choked on his drink, wiping coffee off the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "Excuse me, what did you just say?"

"I want to pay you back," Shouta repeated, holding up his drink. "For this."

"I already told you that it was my treat!"

"No, it's not fair," Shouta shook his head. "It's not fair that you do something nice for me and I don't return it."

Hizashi's eyes softened. "Who taught you that?"

"No one. It's just my… polipy?"

There was a short pause.

"You mean, 'policy'?"

"Yeah, policy," Shouta carefully enunciated, reddening from his mistake. "I don't have money and I can't ask for it, but I still want to do something."

"I don't really want anything in exchange. I'm a hero, Shouta. Doing stuff like this is my job and frankly I wouldn't do it if I didn't like it," Hizashi sighed, ruffling the small boy's tuft of black hair.

Shouta pouted, shaking his head as he glared at the juice pouch in his hands. Four-year-old Shouta may be willing to walk on his own two legs from his own volition, but he was still as stubborn as his twenty-year-old self, Hizashi weakly laughed.

Hizashi folded his arms and hummed loudly. His mouth formed a little "O" when he came up with an idea.

"So if you really want to do something for me, my birthday is in a few days. When you get back to my place, you can make me something, like a card or maybe fold some origami, in exchange for the juice I just bought you," Hizashi said, smiling when Shouta stopped pouting. Something harmless like an arts and crafts project would be a pleasant change of pace. Hizashi had already decided to frame whatever he received on the wall the moment Shouta gave a nod of confirmation.

"Then we have a deal!" Hizashi said, already excited to receive a cute little card (even though he should really be hoping that his friend would be able to change back within a week's time). He blinked as Shouta held up his pinky, eyes slightly more wide and earnest. Hizashi wanted to snap a photo of the cute child in front of him as he returned the pinky promise.

There would be time for photos later. Once this was over, Hizashi promised himself that he would have enough for a whole album.

After finishing their drinks, Hizashi walked Shouta back to his hospital room. Shouta climbed back into bed and turned to the voice hero.

"Are you going to stay?" he quietly asked.

"I don't think the hospital allows overnight visitors," Hizashi wearily answered, wincing when Shouta stiffened from the response.

"But don't worry that cute little head of your's, my dear listener! I'll have everything settled by tomorrow, so I'll be ready to pick you up, then!" Hizashi hurriedly exclaimed. "So please do me one last favor and wait patiently until then."

Shouta gave a curt nod, burrowing into the oversized pillow as he laid down. Hizashi couldn't stop himself from walking over to carefully tuck his best friend into bed, ruffling his hair once again in parting.

As he turned off the lights, he secretly left another juice pouch, this time strawberry flavor, next to Shouta's nightstand. He gave one last wave in the dimly lit room before gently closing the door behind him.


	2. Acquainted

"Welcome home, Shouta!" Hizashi yelled, unlocking the door to their apartment. He nudged the door open with his shoulder, his hands preoccupied with carrying bags from their previous shopping spree.

Shouta cautiously peeked through the open door, hugging the small shopping bag he had been tasked with close to his chest.

"Hey, don't be shy. It's a little messy, but that's what makes it feel like home," Hizashi chuckled. After taking off his shoes he gestured for Shouta to do the same, smiling when he timidly followed his lead.

Shouta carefully placed the bag he was carrying on the floor, meticulously untying the laces on his new shoes. Hizashi had bought him a brand new pair of yellow sneakers and he definitely didn't want to ruin them. It wasn't just the sneakers either. Everything in the shopping bags had been for him; clothes, some salty licorice, construction paper, and even a new cat plush Hizashi had seen him glancing at.

It was all a little overwhelming and he had no idea how a birthday card was going to make up for all the gifts his new caretaker had bought for him.

"Hey, you're worried about trivial things, Shouta. Come on, let's put these things away and I'll make us something to eat. It's been a busy day."

Shouta flinched, whipping his head up to meet Hizashi's warm smile. He quickly averted his eyes by pushing his shoes to the side and picking up the small shopping bag he had been carrying. He didn't understand how this hero was able to understand him so well. Maybe his quirk involved mind reading?

He trailed behind Hizashi, glancing at the homey living room and small kitchen as they passed by.

"And this is your room!" Hizashi sang, turning on the lights to a rather simple room. There was a computer sitting on a desk in the corner, a yellow sleeping bag lying next to it, and a bed that was far bigger than the one he remembered sleeping in. In addition to a night stand and a bookshelf, there was nothing that made the bedroom stand out.

"Really minimalistic right now, but nothing a few toys and posters won't make better!" Hizashi jeered as he placed his shopping bags against the wall, hands on his hips as he gauged Shouta's reaction. "So, what do you think of your room?"

The few pieces of furniture arranged in the room made it look far more spacious than it actually was. "It's really big," Shouta hummed, mimicking Hizashi's actions by laying the shopping bag he had been carrying onto the pile.

The soft pattering on the wooden floor made Shouta jump, quickly running to Hizashi and clinging to his leg.

"Woah, it's okay, my little listener. It's just our— I mean, my house cat. He's a sneaky little guy. He must have been hiding under the bed," Hizashi said, placing his hand on top of Shouta's head to assure him that he was safe.

Shouta peeked passed his human shield. A gray tabby twitched its nose at him.

"You don't need to be afraid of him. He's pretty friendly," Hizashi bent down onto one knee as the cat cautiously walked closer. "Well, actually he's more chummy with my roommate. He's more of a jerk to me, but I think he'll like you."

Shouta refused to leave Hizashi's side, still clinging to his shirt as the cat sniffed his new jacket. Within a few seconds, it instantly began purring and rubbing against him.

"See, he likes you," Hizashi sighed. He almost sounded a little jealous, Shouta thought as he tentatively reached out to pet the cat, his other hand still holding onto Hizashi. "His name is Mochi because I refused to have him named 'Socks'."

"Socks?" Shouta asked as he sat on the floor to hold the cat that was nearly as big as he was.

"Because his feet are white so it looked like he was wearing socks, or something," Hizashi sighed, rubbing his temple. "My roommate has an odd sense for names."

"I like Socks," Shouta hummed, receiving a soft meow from his new friend.

"Mochi, Shouta. It's Mochi," Hizashi groaned, standing up to put away the new clothes he had bought into the closet.

Shouta gently pried the cat off himself and kneeled beside Hizashi. "I can help," he offered.

"I think I can handle it from here," Hizashi said. "But if you really want to, why don't you take this bag of candy and put it in the kitchen for me? Then you can go ahead and check out the apartment. It's not too big, but I want you to get comfortable around here."

Shouta nodded, cradling the box of salty licorice to his chest as he made his way to the kitchen with Mochi strolling next to him. He had to stand on his toes to push the candy box onto the kitchen counter, nearly tipping over and falling backwards if the cat hadn't been there to support his back side.

Hizashi might have thought his apartment was small, but it felt much larger than the one Shouta had been living in with his father. This living room had a wide coffee table, a brown couch and a flat screen tv. Shouta's living room had been extremely narrow, bags of trash laying haphazardly at the sides of the room along with dirty laundry decorating any empty spots. He had also never been allowed to touch their small television, which didn't seem half as fancy as the one he was currently staring at.

The kitchen was also clean, unlike the one he remembered that had a few spots of rust and worn out paint. In the bathroom, there was even a bathtub and a fuzzy green rug in front of the sink, a huge contrast to the bathroom he had that was a size of a broom closet.

And then there was Hizashi's room. There was a small DJ station set up, a surround sound system, and a shelf of alphabetized music CDs. There was a small brown dresser next to a full body mirror. Framed photos and certificates were on top of the dresser, obviously well cared for when Shouta noticed a lack of dust. He also found a small figurine of a hero with tight black clothes and a tower of blond hair posing next to one of the framed photos. Shouta didn't take his new caretaker as someone who liked toys.

His new home was nice. It was warm, clean, and cozy. He didn't have to worry about anyone hurting him or if something would crawl on him if he laid on the floor. There hadn't been any yelling coming from any neighbors and the lights were all working properly.

He felt safe, he thought, biting his lip as he scrubbed his eye with the palm of his hand. Mochi curled around his legs, cocking its head to the side in question. Shouta didn't understand why, but at that moment he sat on the floor, hugged his new friend close to his chest, and cried. His soft hiccups reverberated against the cat's purring.

Shouta wasn't sure how long he had been sitting in Hizashi's room willing his tears to stop falling. He couldn't let the nice hero see him like this. He'd get angry. He'd call him ungrateful for acting like this.

"Hey Shouta, are you in here?" he heard Hizashi call, his footsteps getting louder. He must have finished putting away the things they had bought and was now looking for him. He heard a loud gasp coming from Hizashi as he ran over to him. "Shouta what's wrong?! Did you hurt yourself?!"

Shouta shook his head, clinging onto Mochi a little tighter when Hizashi stretched out his arms. He felt Hizashi gently pick him up, begrudgingly scooping up the cat into his arms as well when he wouldn't let go of it. He buried his face into Hizashi's shirt, sniffing loudly as Mochi affectionately bumped its head against his own.

"Hey, it's okay. You're alright," Hizashi cooed, brushing his nose against Shouta's soft black hair. "Everything's new and different so it's pretty scary. I get that."

Shouta shook his head again, trying his best to suppress any hiccups that followed his sobs. He felt Hizashi carefully shift, eventually taking a seat on his bed and leaning his back against the wall. Shouta could feel his ears growing red from hearing the sound of his own quiet sobs in the room, muffled only by the voice hero's shirt that he was staining with tears.

He felt Hizashi rub soothing circles on his back, softly humming a gentle tune that vibrated from where he laid on his chest. Shouta could have sworn he had never heard this song before, but the melody felt oddly nostalgic.

"Sorry," Shouta managed to shakily whisper after a few minutes, feeling tears prick at the corner of his eyes.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Hizashi murmured, kissing the top of Shouta's forehead.

With Hizashi's quiet humming and Mochi's soft fur enveloping him, Shouta began to feel his eyes droop. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep in the voice hero's arms.

When Shouta woke up, he found himself wrapped in a blanket. He quietly pushed himself up, rubbing his sore eyes as he noticed a small nightlight next to the large bed he had been sleeping on. Hizashi must have moved him into his new room.

The black cat plush Hizashi had bought for him this afternoon laid next to him while Mochi was curled up on the other side, fast asleep as well. Shouta scratched the top of the cat's head before carefully climbing out of bed.

He eyed the cat plush, deciding to tuck it under the blanket next to Mochi before leaving the room.

Cautiously sticking his head passed the bedroom door, the aromatic smell coming from the kitchen made his stomach growl. Shouta realized he hadn't eaten anything other than a sandwich Hizashi had packed for him after he had picked him up from the hospital.

Making his way to the kitchen, he found Hizashi wearing a pink apron, humming a soft tune as he stir fried some rice in a large pan. He immediately noticed Shouta and greeted him with a tooth grinning smile.

"Looks like my little listener had a good nap! Can you do me a huge favor and help me set up the table? I'm almost done with dinner," Hizashi said, lowering the fire on the stove and shuffling to a nearby cabinet to pull out some bowls and chopsticks.

Shouta carefully placed the items on the table, taking extra small steps when Hizashi handed him a plate of omurice. With the food ready, Shouta took a minute to admire how fluffy the egg appeared, pondering about how he rarely ever had a chance to eat something that wasn't instant or premade.

"Let me add one more finishing touch!" Hizashi hummed, holding up a bottle of ketchup. He took Shouta's plate and began decorating it, his tongue sticking out to the corner of his mouth as he made delicate strokes with the ketchup bottle. Shouta leaned forward in his seat, curiously trying to see what Hizashi was writing.

"Okay, what do you think?" Hizashi asked, sliding the plate back over to him.

Decorated on the omurice in red was Shouta's name and a little heart at the end. His eyes lit up in excitement, turning his gaze to Hizashi's plain omurice plate.

"You want to do mine?" Hizashi laughed, handing him the bottle of ketchup and his plate of rice when the young erasure hero nodded his head vigorously.

Shouta held the ketchup bottle in both hands, glancing at the corner of the ceiling while trying to think of what to write. Sitting up straighter in his chair when he settled on an idea, he slowly began to squeeze ketchup onto the dish. After a few minutes he picked up the plate and timidly walked over to Hizashi who had been patiently waiting for him to finish his masterpiece.

He held up the omurice plate, fidgeting in nervous anticipation as Hizashi scanned the words "HERO" messily printed on the egg.

"Sorry, did I put too much ketchup on it?" Shouta muttered after the voice hero didn't immediately respond. The unexpected hug made Shouta let out a surprised yelp, almost dropping the dinner plate in his hands.

"You're too precious, Shouta," Hizashi said, pulling out his phone from his back pocket. "Hold still, I have to take a picture of this."

Shouta stiffened when Hizashi told him to smile, forming his mouth into a thin line as his new caretaker snapped a few quick shots of him holding the rice plate.

"Nemuri's going to love this," Hizashi jeered, tapping a few quick buttons on his phone before slipping it back into his pocket. "Come on, let's eat these before they get cold. You're going to love Present Mic's Special Omurice of Love!"

Shouta nodded earnestly, hearing Hizashi mutter "I'm glad someone appreciates that name" with a scoff as he climbed back into his chair.

After finishing their dinner, Hizashi pulled out a stool so that Shouta could help him with the dishes. What should have taken less than ten minutes turned into a half hour bubble blowing improvised karaoke show (with mainly Hizashi belching out tacky American songs). Once the chore was finished, both of them were soaking wet with patches of soap bubbles clinging to their shirts.

Setting the dishes aside, Hizashi took Shouta into his arms and made his way to the bathroom, making a quick stop in their rooms to grab some fresh clothes. He gently washed Shouta's hair, toweling him dry as well as blow drying his hair. With a little bit of help, Shouta changed into his cat print pajamas, brushed his teeth, and sat quietly outside the bathroom door, staring at the little cat faces on his shirt while Hizashi took a quick shower.

"Did I keep you waiting?" Hizashi asked, stepping out while tying up his hair. Shouta shook his head, pushing himself to his feet to walk with his caretaker into his room.

Shouta's eyes lit up when he saw Mochi jump off the bed with his new cat plush in his mouth, trotting over to him and placing it at his feet.

"No matter how you look that cat still loves you to death," Hizashi sighed, his eye twitching slightly when the house cat matched his intense glare. "Anyway, lets get you to bed. I'm going to have to take you to work with me for the next couple of days until I figure something out."

"Work?" Shouta repeated, scooping up his new toy into his arms and stroking the top of Mochi's head in gratitude.

"Yeah, I can't leave you here alone so you're going to have to follow me around for a while. It might get a little dull, but you can pack some crayons and maybe bring a book to keep yourself busy," Hizashi hummed, tucking Shouta into bed.

"I can stay home by myself," Shouta mumbled. "Dad doesn't mind leaving me alone."

"Well, I'm not 'Dad', Shouta so we're going to do it my way," Hizashi murmured, spitting out the word "Dad" with more force than necessary. "You'll also have to try to stay out of sight. There's a nice lady called Recovery Girl who'll look after you while I'm busy so be a good boy and listen to everything she says. I don't want the other kids getting distracted with you around, alright?"

"There are other kids?" Shouta asked, hugging his cat plush a little tighter at the thought of talking to other children.

"They probably don't look like kids if you saw them since they're almost ten years older than you right now, but yes, there will be other people," Hizashi laughed. "But don't worry, they have a lot of school work to take care of so they won't be bothering you."

"What do I do if they talk to me?" Shouta continued, a hint of nervousness creeping into his tone. "Are you going to be gone for long? You'll come back, right?"

Shouta had always been instructed to stay quiet when he left the house. The thought of potential human interaction always made him anxious. Not knowing what he was and wasn't allowed to say usually made him decide to not say anything at all. His small hand gripped onto Hizashi's pant leg in apprehension, squeezing his plush closer to his chest as he stared at the voice hero with wide pleading eyes.

"Hey, there's nothing to worry about," Hizashi reassured, pulling Shouta into a loose hug. "I don't know how it was for you before, but I won't let anyone hurt you. Everyone at UA is working to become a hero and you said you liked heroes, right? So just look at them as future heroes who are working hard to become as strong and cool as me."

"I'll be stopping by to check up on you during my breaks and by four o'clock I'll be able to bust you out of there, okay? Sorry to keep asking you for more favors, but can you wait patiently for me again?" Hizashi continued, gently tucking a stray piece of hair behind Shouta's ear, smiling warmly when he received a small nod.

"You're going to be alright, Shouta," Hizashi said in consolation. "You can work on that card you promised me, read some books, and take a couple naps and before you know it, I'll be ready to pick you up and take you out for ice cream. How does that sound?"

"Okay," Shouta reluctantly said, not quite moving away from the hug.

"Thanks for being so brave for me, Shouta. You've been a real trooper since I picked you up from the hospital," Hizashi praised, rubbing small circles on the child's back. "I know it's been tough, but you're really hanging in there for me."

Somehow those words sounded like it wasn't meant only for him, but Shouta didn't say anything, choosing to close his eyes instead, nodding slightly in response.

Hizashi kept him in his arms until he fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning was a blur. Shouta barely recognized Hizashi when he came to wake him up. In all honesty, he thought he had been dreaming when a man with blond hair decorated like a banana picked him up from under his covers and helped him change into a warm sweatshirt and loose pants. He was nodding off to sleep when the hero strapped on the new cat backpack he had bought for him the other day, telling him that he had already packed a couple things to keep him busy while he was at work.

Hizashi placed the cat plush in his arms, instructing him to hold on to it while he tied his shoes for him. Shouta couldn't remember what happened after that, but he assumed he had fallen asleep during the car ride.

By the time he woke up again, he was sleeping in an unfamiliar bed with white sheets pulled over him. He hugged his cat plush, rubbing his eye with his other free hand as he yawned.

"Looks like you're finally awake, sleepy head." Shouta whipped his head up, turning to find the person who had just spoken.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," it continued, pushing aside a set of curtains for Shouta to see who the voice belonged to. Standing beside him was a short old lady holding a cane, no taller than Shouta. "It's just it's almost noon and I can't help but find it funny how you slept through the morning even though you're a kid now."

Shouta wasn't sure what she meant by that. He sheepishly clutched his cat plush and muttered a quiet "hello".

"Mic probably already told you, but I'm Recovery Girl. Oh, wait I have some candy in my pocket," she chimed, digging out a few pieces from her pocket and handing them to the small boy. "Go ahead, take it all. I have more in my drawer."

"Th-thank you very much," Shouta whispered, using both hands to hold all the pieces. As he fumbled with the wrapper, he heard the infirmary room door open, perking up when he spied a tall tower of blond hair coming in. He frowned slightly when he noticed another lady dressed in pink latex and tall black boots playfully slap the voice hero on the back.

"You can't just bring a small Shouta in here without expecting me to see him, Mic!" she teased. "That's against the rules and I won't stand for it."

"Keep it down, Midnight! I don't want anyone else to know about this," Hizashi hushed, glancing at the hallways to see if anyone had overheard them.

"Oh my, is that him?!" Nemuri gasped, lighting up in excitement when her eyes locked with Shouta's. She power walked over to his bedside, dragging him into a tight embrace. "You're so small and cute!"

Shouta's eyes flared red the instant Nemuri took him into her arms, his hair floating up in agitation. He fervently pushed against the stranger with his thin arms, feeling his eyes tear up from the strain of his own quirk.

"…'zashi," he weakly squeaked in fear, finding his voice escaping him.

"Oi, Midnight! Let him go! You're scaring him!" Hizashi nearly yelled, rushing over to pry her off the boy. Shouta instantly clung to his black leather jacket, quietly repeating his name as Hizashi fumbled with him on his lap.

"My, my, you should know better than to do that, Midnight," Recovery Girl chided, huffing in disappointment. "Even if you did that to him as an adult he would still hate it."

"S-sorry. I couldn't help myself, but you're right. That was unprecedented of me," she weakly smiled, squatting to eye level with Shouta who pushed himself closer to Hizashi.

"I'm really sorry, Shou-chan and I promise I won't do it again without asking for permission," Nemuri said, clapping her hands together to exaggerate her apology. "Can I try introducing myself again, please?"

Shouta hesitated, turning to face Hizashi for confirmation. The voice hero gave a short huff and gestured for him to give the lady in front of him another chance.

"'s okay," he eventually muttered, still clinging to Hizashi's jacket with both hands. "I'm not mad."

Nemuri sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Shou-chan! Let me start again. I'm Midnight, a teacher and hero at this school like Mic, but I would appreciate it if you called me 'onee-san' instead," she sang, practically glowing when the boy gave a small reluctant nod. She picked up the cat plush that had fallen during the panicked shuffling, swiped off some dirt, and handed it back to Shouta.

"Don't want you losing this by the way. It looks important," she smiled as Shouta reached out to take his toy back into his arms.

"Well, now that we're done with the boring introductions, I brought lunch. You ready to eat, Shouta?" Hizashi asked, his heart melting when the boy gave him a soft awkward smile in return.

The rest of the day went by quickly. Shouta quietly stayed in the infirmary, doodling cats and coloring in the activity book Hizashi had packed for him. When he grew tired of that, he switched to examining the different picture books Nemuri had snuck in for him. He even was allowed to help Recovery Girl organize the office, arranging new supplies that just came in the morning.

Just as promised, Hizashi came to pick him up at four o'clock. Shouta had already packed up his toys, patiently waiting for him by the door ten minutes before the agreed arrival time.

"Did you thank Recovery Girl for taking care of you?" Hizashi couldn't resist impertinently asking.

Shouta perked up at the question, quickly turning to Recovery Girl and giving her a small bow.

"Thank you, obaa-san," he said, flashing her a small awkward smile as his gaze never left the white tiled floors.

"You're welcome, dear. I'll see you tomorrow," she replied, waving her cane.

With that, Shouta grasped Hizashi's hand and the two made their way to the parking lot. The voice hero bought them both an ice cream cone on the way home, vanilla for himself and mint chocolate chip for Shouta.

Shouta ended up taking a nap on the couch once they returned home, waking up when he heard the doorbell ring. The television was currently turned on, showing a weather broadcast. He slid off the couch, becoming slightly more awake when Mochi walked over to bump his head against his chest.

"Thanks for this, Nemuri. I'm going to be out the next couple of nights helping the police force track down the villain with the age regression quirk so I really appreciate you babysitting for me," he heard Hizashi say.

"Are you sure he'll be alright with me? As much as it breaks my heart to say it, we kind of started off on the wrong foot today," Nemuri said, scratching her cheek in embarrassment.

"There aren't very many people who know about his… 'situation' and I'd like to keep it that way. I haven't had any trouble with him so I'm sure it'll work out between you two. He's a good kid."

"If you say so, Hizashi," Nemuri shrugged in response.

"I already bought some take-out. They're on the kitchen table. If you need anything, just call me," Hizashi instructed.

Shouta immediately walked to the front door once he heard that Hizashi was leaving.

"You're going out?" he asked, frowning when the two adults startled at his sudden appearance. Mochi seemed to intentionally stand in front of Shouta, eyeing the newcomer wearily.

"Sorry, Shouta. I have hero work to do," Hizashi apologetically said. "It's very important, but I'll be back later."

"When?" Shouta asked, his hands gripping the hem of his sweatshirt in apprehension.

"I wish I could tell you when, my little listener," Hizashi grimaced.

Shouta opened his mouth to say something before hastily closing it. It had only been two days since he moved in with his new caretaker. A part of him was afraid that his new home would be taken away with Hizashi stepping out on him and he'd be taken back to his old unkempt apartment. After all, the generosity and kindness he'd been shown lately seemed like a dream.

"Shou-chan, Hizashi will be back before you know it," Nemuri reassured, crouching down onto one knee to give Shouta's shoulder a quick squeeze. "Believe me when I say there's no other place he'd rather be than by your side right now."

Shouta bashfully looked up into Nemuri's blue eyes.

"But Hizashi isn't just Hizashi. He's also Present Mic. He's sworn to protect you, but it's also his duty to stop villains to keep everyone safe," Nemuri said, smiling gently at the small, fragile boy in front of her. "That's what it means to be a hero."

After exhaling a shaky breath, Shouta nodded in understanding, giving Hizashi a small wave good bye. The voice hero hesitated at the door, glancing at the two apprehensively.

Nemuri sighed, leaned in close to Shouta's ear, and loudly whispered, "Also, Hizashi told me about how you were supposed to make him a birthday gift. I have a really good idea, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. He has to leave the house for us to properly work on it."

Shouta's eyes brightened at the mention of Hizashi's birthday gift.

"And that's how it is so please give me and the kiddo some privacy, okay, Present Mic-san?" Nemuri winked.

Hizashi gave a nervous laugh, affectionately smiling at the two. "Well then, I guess I shouldn't keep you two from your work. Give me a call if you need anything."

"You got it!" Nemuri sang, saluting her friend good bye as he closed the door behind him.

"Do you really have a good idea for a birthday gift?" Shouta asked hopefully. Mochi continued to stick close to the small erasure hero, lowly purring as Nemuri gave him a thumbs-up.

"Of course, Shou-chan! I came prepared!" she said, pulling out a polaroid camera and an empty photo album from her bag.

"What do you think about making Hizashi a collection of photos of you two? While I'm here, I'll secretly take photos of you and him with my phone, maybe even at school when I know he isn't watching. We'll compile all the photos, mix in a few old-fashioned ones with my polaroid camera to give it an aesthetic feeling, and ta-dah! A beautiful gift will be ready for him in a few days!" Nemuri explained, handing Shouta her camera for him to examine. "You can still make him a card of course. With our two gifts combined, I guarantee it'll be the best birthday gift ever!"

"You think he'll really like it?" Shouta meekly asked, handing the camera back to Nemuri.

"Of course he will, sweetie!" Nemuri said. "Now come on, let's start taking some photos. You can be my guide and tell me the best spots in the apartment to get nice shots!"

For the next few hours, the two ran around the apartment, deciding on different poses for photos. They dug through both his and Hizashi's closets to find props, even taking some shots of Shouta timidly wearing his yellow tinted sunglasses that were far too big for his small, round face. Nemuri thought her heart would stop beating when Shouta also suggested taking some pictures of her for the album as well.

After running out of film for her polaroid camera, Nemuri eventually told Shouta she would warm up the take-out Hizashi had left for him. The two spent the rest of the night finishing dinner while watching a cartoon. Shouta stubbornly tried to stay awake, wanting to greet Hizashi once he came home, but he eventually fell asleep wrapped in a blanket next to Nemuri before midnight.

This routine continued for a few more nights. Shouta worked with Nemuri to make the perfect gift for Hizashi's rapidly approaching birthday, moving on to practicing different designs for birthday cards when Nemuri stated that she had enough photos to work with. She even brought over her laptop to have Shouta help her decide which digital photos to have printed out for the album.

The night before Hizashi's birthday, the gifts were finally ready. Shouta had hidden the card and photo album under his bed, agreeing with Nemuri that they would give it to Hizashi together since they both put in the effort. Nemuri had convinced him to head to bed instead of waiting for Hizashi that night to make sure that he was well rested for tomorrow.

So here he was, too excited to sleep as he tossed and turned in bed. He thought about the gift lying under his bed, hoping that it would make Hizashi happy. For the passed few days, Hizashi's increasing fatigue didn't go unnoticed. Shouta could tell Hizashi was working too hard, barely getting any rest between his constant hero work, his Friday night radio show, and his job as a teacher. He really hoped Hizashi would take a day-off on his birthday.

Shouta sat up when he heard the front door click open. Hizashi must be home, he thought excitedly. But then he frowned, remembering that Nemuri wanted him to be in bed, fast asleep.

After taking a few minutes, he eventually decided that he really wanted to tell Hizashi, "welcome home." Breaking the rules for a small surprise wouldn't hurt, he reasoned. So he quietly crept to his bedroom door and cautiously opened it, peeking out to make sure no one was there.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Nemuri. I feel like I get the same results every night."

"It's going to be alright, Hizashi. Please, you need to get some rest."

Shouta felt his chest grow tight from Hizashi's uneasy tone. He quietly stood in the hallway, trying to pick up on their conversation. In truth, he could only catch bits and pieces, which only made him more anxious.

"I don't know what my next move is," Hizashi's muffled voice said. "It can't be like this forever."

Shouta felt his heart drop into his stomach. What was going on? Did Hizashi want to stop taking care of him?

"Hizashi…"

"I thought this could work, but it's so hard to see him like this every day. It shouldn't be this way. Why is this happening?" Hizashi sighed. "It's all too much."

He has to be talking about me, Shouta thought, his heart racing. Hizashi was upset that he had to take care of Shouta on top of all his other responsibilities. Of course he was tired of taking care of him on the side. What did he even gain from all this work? It was a perfectly reasonable complaint. Hizashi probably wanted to hand Shouta back over to his old home, but he was just too nice to do so, he thought.

One thing felt clear though. Hizashi didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to be burdened by him any further just because he was too kind to give Shouta away to someone else. That's why Shouta would make the decision for him, to make it easier on the kind voice hero.

That night after he knew Hizashi went to bed, Shouta slipped on a warm sweatshirt and grabbed his small backpack. He packed a few juice pouches that he saw in the fridge as well as some crackers he had seen lying on the coffee table. He double checked to make sure that the thousand yen bill Hizashi had given him for emergencies was in the back pocket of his backpack.

As he quietly walked to the front door and unlocked it, he heard small footsteps behind him. He turned around to find Mochi staring at him, whiskers twitching and tail held high. Shouta shook his head and tried to push the cat back inside the apartment, but utterly failed when it skillfully ran passed him and out the door, staring at him knowingly with wide, blue eyes.

Shouta bit his lower lip. He didn't have time for this. Hizashi might wake up soon. Gripping the strap of his backpack, he gently closed the apartment door behind him, slipping out into the night with Mochi quietly trailing behind him.


	3. Trouble

Shouta sucked on his juice pouch as he walked down the dimly lit streets. He made another quick glance behind his shoulder to double check if Mochi was still following him, releasing a silent sigh of relief when the grey tabby caught the corner of his eye. If Shouta had been honest, if the cat hadn't left with him, he would have wanted to turn back and return to Hizashi's apartment, climb back under his covers, and pretend that he never came up with the bright idea to play the "hero" and leave his new home for Hizashi's sake. His palms were sweating profusely simply from how nervous he felt walking through the unfamiliar neighborhood. Having a bit of company from his new friend was the only thing keeping him from turning back.

"I guess you wouldn't know how to get back to my old house and find dad, would you?" he whispered, stopping to stroke Mochi, who gratefully rubbed back against his hand.

Shouta had stepped out with only a hazy plan: find his old apartment and hope that he could go back to living there. The thought of having to see his father again made him tremble from terror. He could only imagine how angry he would be to see him again after going missing for an entire week. Shouta kept his fingers crossed and hoped that he would be faced with apathy and nonchalance instead. Maybe he hadn't even noticed, he prayed.

There wasn't much to work with, but he remembered recognizing a convenience store during the times Hizashi drove them to and from his workplace. He had a vague memory of passing it on a few occasions when he was allowed to go out to the park on Sundays. He recalled that there had been a nice red swing set and a tall metal slide. If he could locate the park, his old apartment complex should only be a few blocks away.

He wasn't sure how long he had been walking, only taking a few detours, like finding a trashcan to throw away his juice pouch or ducking into a different street when he saw a family of raccoons on the same block. Shouta had tripped a few times on some steep hills, scraping his knee a couple times, but aside from that he hadn't run into any trouble.

Shouta finally found the convenience store by the time the sun was peeking over the horizon. He smiled at Mochi, who returned it with a small meow.

"I bet you're hungry," Shouta said, rubbing the cat under its chin. "You didn't eat anything since last night and I didn't pack anything for you."

As he walked up to the entrance of the convenience store, he made an abrupt stop and turned on his heel when he realized Mochi was following him.

"Sorry, you have to stay out here," Shouta muttered, pointing to the floor in emphasis. Mochi tilted its head to the side, blinking its blue eyes.

"Please," Shouta added a little desperately as he pulled the door open just a crack. He quickly slipped in before Mochi could follow, shaking his head apologetically when the cat pawed at the door.

"I'll be right back. I promise," Shouta whispered before turning around to find the canned foods aisle. He picked out a can of tuna on the lowest shelf and made his way to the check-out counter. The lady working at the front blinked her eyes in confusion at seeing the four-year-old shyly hand her the item.

"Oh my, are you on an errand?" she politely asked, eyebrows furrowing when she glanced at the clock and saw that it was barely 6:30 in the morning.

Shouta hesitantly nodded, unzipping his cat backpack to pull out the thousand yen bill he had been carrying.

"Is someone with you? Maybe your mom or your dad?" the lady continued, squinting her eyes at the entrance in bemusement when she only spotted the gray cat sitting outside the glass door.

"Yes," Shouta lied, fidgeting in place.

"My… my dad is," he quickly added when the lady eyed him incessantly. "He's outside waiting."

"Are you sure? Do you need me to call someone for you?" she pressed after giving Shouta his change, her hand already reaching for the phone.

Shouta quickly shook his head, muttered a "thank you", and dashed out the store before he could be asked anymore questions, grateful that Mochi immediately ran after him. He scanned the area, spotting an empty alleyway that he swiftly retreated into. Peeking out of his hiding place, he saw the lady step outside, examining the streets.

"We can't stay," Shouta panted, making his way further down the alley. The scraping of his shoes on the cement echoed alongside Mochi's nimble footsteps.

As they exited the alleyway, Shouta kept running until he entered a quiet neighborhood, double checking to see if anyone was still following him. With no one other than Mochi pawing at his sneakers, Shouta sighed and decided to duck behind some large bushes before taking a seat.

Mochi instantly crawled into his lap, curling into itself before closing its eyes.

"Hey, you can't go to sleep after I got this for you," Shouta teased, holding the can of tuna in front of the cat. Mochi sniffed the label, huffing before choosing to lay its head back down.

"Maybe later then," Shouta sighed, placing the can on the grass next to him. He lazily stroked Mochi's fur, smiling when the cat rumbled a content purr. Shouta wondered if he could also take a quick nap but decided against it. He had to stay on look out to make sure nothing happened to either of them.

He absently wondered if Hizashi had woken up yet. His caretaker always seemed to get up before there was any light in the sky to prepare for the day. Maybe he was taking a quick shower or turning on the loud coffee maker to fill up his metal thermos. Judging from how much brighter it had already turned since he left the apartment, it was only a matter of time before Hizashi would go into his room and discover that he was missing.

His chest grew tight as he remembered the card and photo album he had left under his bed, realizing that he had decided to leave on the day of Hizashi's birthday. That's okay, Shouta sadly thought. Hizashi could just celebrate it with Nemuri. Maybe she'd still be able to find the present and give it to him when they cut the cake or when they went out to that new barbeque place downtown.

Shouta quietly sat on the grass counting the number of people who passed by his hiding spot. He would hug Mochi a little tighter whenever anyone lingered in front of the bushes, sighing in relief once the footsteps faded.

When Mochi finally began to stir, Shouta pulled off the lid of the tuna can, placing it on his knee for the cat to lazily eat out of. After finishing half the can, Mochi began to lick Shouta's hand, nudging the food away from itself as if beckoning for the small erasure hero to eat as well. When Mochi showed no sign of continuing its meal, Shouta pulled out some crackers he had stowed away in his backpack, layering them with the leftover tuna on top.

Once he finished his snack, he climbed out of the bushes with Mochi at his heel. The two spent another half hour walking around the area until Shouta located the park. The sign indicating the name of the playground was familiar, but the interior was foreign. The play structures seemed newer, shining with fresh paint and the swing set he remembered playing at was missing. He frowned, wondering if it had really been that long since he had last visited the park.

As he continued his treck further down following a path that felt oddly nostalgic but not quite recognizable, the area slowly grew quieter, becoming almost eerily deserted aside from a few homeless lingering around the sides of run down buildings. He was glad Mochi was close by, hissing at anyone who stared in his direction for too long.

Shouta's eyes widened when he recognized a tattered sign printed with the words "Sekibaku Apartments". His heart began to race, breaking into a light jog as he ran down the street. This was the name of the apartment complex of his old home, he excitedly thought, elated that he had actually found it.

He couldn't believe it. Against all odds, he somehow made it. Shouta made a tight turn around the corner, fully expecting to see the worn-out paint of his old apartment.

His heart instantly dropped when he stood before a large empty lot. Piles of old debris and trash bags lied scattered behind wired fences.

"Wh—… but… I don't understand," Shouta stuttered, staring at the desolated spot where his old home should have been. "It should be right here. I… I'm sure of it."

He placed his hand on the wired fence, immediately retracting his hand when rust slipped onto his fingers.

"What happened?" Shouta breathed, desperately hoping that he was just in the wrong area.

"Hey there, Eraser-chan. I've been waiting for you."

Shouta felt his blood run cold, briskly turning on his heel to find a tall, large man standing only a few meters away, flashing him a creepy smile that made his hair stand on end. Mochi crouched low to the ground, vehemently hissing at the figure.

"Who are you?" Shouta trembled, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he noticed a holster strapped to the man's thigh.

"Aw, don't be rude. You've been a constant thorn in my backside, ruining my business with your hero work," the man sneered. "The least you could do is remember me, but I guess I can't be too mad. If you did, then the money I spent hiring that villain with an age regression quirk would have been all for nothing."

"I don't know what you're talking about. What do you mean you've been waiting for me?" Shouta asked, backing up against the fence, rattling the rusty metal wires. "How did you know I'd be here?"

"You'd listen to an old man gloat? That's very sweet of you," he laughed. "You see, my quirk is 'Foresight'. It gives me the ability to see snippets of future events. It's pretty handy, you know? Let's me plan ahead for getting rid of loose ends like you."

The man paused, baring his teeth in a prideful smirk.

"All I had to do was figure out physical clues in my vision to deduct where you'd appear and after that, I just hung around, waiting for you," the villain jeered, reaching into his pocket to pull out a switchblade. "With you as vulnerable as you are, I won't even need to waste a bullet on you. I've been waiting patiently all week to find you here, you see. It would be such a waste to not draw this out."

Shouta's legs shook as he made a quick dash back towards the alleyway he had came from, hearing heavy footsteps rapidly following him.

"You don't honestly think you can run away from me, do you?!" the villain loudly taunted, easily catching up to the four-year-old.

Shouta felt him roughly grab the back of his hair, forcefully pushing his head to the floor.

"Hmm, now that I think about it, your quirk is pretty useful. I could probably get a pretty good deal if I auctioned off your eyes," Shouta heard him say.

He felt tears begin to form at the corner of his eyes as he saw the shine of the switchblade slowly being lowered to his face. "Don't worry Eraser-chan. I'll at least make this part quick, but I do apologize. I'm not exactly a licensed surgeon so this might hurt a little."

"No, stop! Please!" he weakly cried, shaking as the man on top of him manically laughed.

Before the knife reached his eye, Shouta heard a loud hiss as Mochi pounced onto the villain, its claws fiercely digging into the man's arm. He heard the man let out a cry, the switchblade falling to the ground with a loud "clink". Shouta squirmed his way out of the man's hold as Mochi was thrown against the wired fence, the cat instantly crouching back onto all fours to bare its fangs.

"I remember seeing you in one of my visions, too but I thought you were some stray cat," the villain spat, holding his injured hand with his eyes flashing in mild fury.

With ears pressed flat against its skull, Mochi dashed between the man's legs, biting and scratching at the back of the villain's thigh. The cat was met with a flurry of kicks, slamming into the ground with debris sticking to its fur.

"You're making me angry, you piece of shit!" the villain screamed, placing his hand on his holster as he turned his back to Shouta to fully face the twitching cat. Mochi weakly pushed itself back onto its paws, its hissing far softer than it was before the attack.

Shouta struggled to catch his breath, his eyes wide with fear and worry as the villain pulled out a gun. He whipped his head around the area, desperately looking for something to use to stop the man from hurting Mochi. His eyes landed on the switchblade gleaming on the dirt floor. His small hands trembled as he fumbled with it, his breathing growing harsher as he ran with it as fast as he could towards the villain who was already cocking his gun.

Using as much force as he could muster, he let out a small cry as he dug the blade into the back of the villain's knee, wrenching a deafening howl from him. Shouta scrambled away from the injured man, running to scoop Mochi into his arms, making another frantic dash away from the area.

He heard loud gunshots resounding from behind him, the villain undoubtedly shooting in his direction. Carrying Mochi turned out to be too difficult, the cat almost matching Shouta's size. The young erasure hero tripped on the uneven ground, dropping his friend from his hold and scraping his elbows against the rubble.

"M-Mochi!" Shouta stuttered, pushing himself to his knees as the cat laid unconscious two feet away.

"Your cat isn't the thing you should be worried about right now, Eraser-chan," the villain growled, already limping over to Shouta with his gun aimed directly at him. "Although since you've both made this far more difficult than it should have been, I suppose you can die together here. A deserted dumping site seems like a fitting grave for you, doesn't it?"

As the villain hovered over him, Shouta pulled Mochi into a tight hug, crying softly as he looked over his tattered friend.

"I'm so sorry," he choked, burying his face into Mochi's fur. "I'm so sorry, Mochi."

Why did he have to try to find his old apartment? Why didn't he try harder to push Mochi back inside when it chose to follow him? None of this would have happened if Shouta hadn't slipped out of Hizashi's apartment. Poor Mochi should still be curled up on his covers, sleeping peacefully, Shouta remorsefully thought.

Shouta's shoulders shook violently as he turned to face the villain, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Pathetic," the man said as he prepared his gun for another shot.

Shouta held Mochi tighter to his chest, closing his eyes as he clung to his friend in what he thought was going to be his last hug.

"Hizashi," Shouta whimpered, his heart pounding as he thought of the nice hero one more time.

A gun shot echoed into the air. Shouta had braced himself for the attack, mildly confused when he didn't feel any pain after the loud noise resonated through the alleyways.

"Oi, you have a lot of nerve attacking my kid like this," Hizashi growled, holding the villain's wrist in a bone-breaking grip. The gun was pointed at the ground, the bullet just barely missing the villain's foot.

The villain squeaked, his eyes comically widening as he tried to pull his arm out of the hero's grip.

"You know, I woke up this morning feeling like I needed twenty expresso shots. Now after seeing your ugly mug, I think I'm gonna need a lot more than that," Hizashi said, voice low and dangerous as he wrenched the gun out of the villain's hand, kicking him square in the stomach and reducing him to a sputtering mess.

"Maybe even a shot of vodka in my coffee cup at this point," Hizashi murmured, cracking his knuckles. "You know they don't allow alcohol on campus, right?"

Shouta blinked in bewilderment as he watched Hizashi detain the villain with a few skillful punches, knocking the man unconscious after only a few hits, all without even using his quirk.

"Shouta, are you alright?" Nemuri hurriedly asked, crouching to put both hands on the small boy's shoulders.

"Nemuri," he muttered in surprise, his body as limp as a noodle when she pulled him into a hug.

"Thank goodness," Nemuri breathed. "We were so worried!"

"Looks like that tracking chip Shouta had placed in Mochi's collar paid off after all," Hizashi sighed, quickly handcuffing the unconscious villain and tossing him over his shoulder. "Count us lucky for them being together."

"Mochi," Shouta mumbled, his heart beating faster as he remembered he was holding his friend in his arms. "Mochi! Mochi's hurt! Please, he was protecting me and… and then—…"

"I need you to take some deep breaths for me, Shouta," Nemuri instructed. "Let's get you both to Recovery Girl. This seems like something she could easily patch up. Does it hurt anywhere? Are you able to stand up?"

Shouta shakily pushed himself to his feet. His knees buckled, clutching onto Nemuri for support. He shook his head, biting his lip as Nemuri gingerly took him and the cat into her arms. He nervously glanced at Hizashi, who simply walked over, ruffled his hair, and silently lead them back to his car.

Hizashi ended up stopping at the police station with the villain, stating that he would handle the paperwork.

"You can borrow my car and drive Shouta to Recovery Girl," he said. "I'll take the train and join you both over there in an hour or two."

Shouta sat in the backseat, eyebrows furrowed in worry as he stroked Mochi's fur, the poor cat trembling with each breath.

"Hizashi was really worried about you, you know," Nemuri softly said, breaking the silence after Hizashi left. "When he called me I could barely understand what he was even saying. Something about him finding you missing and how he thought someone had taken you until he found the front door unlocked from the inside; he sounded like he was about to cry on the other end of the phone."

Shouta flinched, momentarily pausing from brushing Mochi's fur, pouting his lower lip in guilt.

"We're lucky we found you as fast as we did. We got a tip from when we notified the police about you missing. Apparently someone had called in this morning saying they had seen you with your cat when you bought something from a store. That's when Hizashi decided to use that tracking app on his phone to look for Mochi," Nemuri explained, locking the brakes in the car once she found a suitable spot in the UA parking lot.

"I have a faint idea as to why you decided to step out, but that doesn't make me any less upset," Nemuri berated, turning her head around to face the child. "It's not my place to scold you. That's Hizashi's job. Just know that you have a lot of explaining to do once he gets here."

Nemuri shuffled out of the car and took the two passengers into her arms. "You have to promise me that you're going to tell him everything. And I mean everything. No skipping on any details. We need the whole truth so you have to tell us exactly what you were thinking. You got that, Shouta?"

Shouta sniffed, nodding his head once in understanding.

"You're such a handful," Nemuri sighed. "Never telling us how you feel before doing something stupid. I guess that's never changed."

Once they arrived at the infirmary, Shouta insisted that Recovery Girl tended to Mochi first. The cat had a fractured rib and a broken leg, but aside from that, she told Shouta that Mochi would be alright. After using her quirk, she stated that the cat would be fine if it stayed off its feet for a week, instructing Shouta to keep his friend strictly on bed rest.

Shouta's wounds didn't require Recovery Girl's powers. She cleaned the few scrapes he had, carefully bandaged them up, and gave Shouta some candy for being a good patient. As he chewed on his gummies, she teased that even Hizashi would whine whenever she cleaned his wounds with alcohol, a huge contrast to how Shouta merely clutched onto Nemuri's hand when the liquid stung his raw skin.

Shouta quietly sat next to Mochi for the next hour, stroking its gray fur as he waited for Hizashi to show up.

He had been reciting how he would speak to him, mentally preparing himself to inform Hizashi that he knew that he was a burden and that he knew he didn't have time to take care of him. He'd tell him that he wasn't upset and that if Hizashi could find his old apartment for him, he'd go back living there. And if Hizashi was okay with it, if the hero had time to spare, he could visit him once in a while, maybe even explore the park by his house and build sandcastles in the sandbox together.

Every time the infirmary door slid open, Shouta would tense, biting his lip in apprehension. Around noon, he finally heard the familiar sounds of Hizashi's boots scraping against the tiled floors before he entered the room.

When he met Hizashi's green eyes, he felt his heart drop into his stomach. The voice hero looked exhausted, prominent dark circles were evident. He hadn't noticed before, but Hizashi had skipped gelling his hair up, leaving it in a messy bun that only extenuated his overworked appearance.

"Well, I think I'll step out to grab some lunch from the cafeteria. Go ahead and lock the door while I'm out, alright?" Recovery Girl hummed, shuffling to the door and exiting promptly to give the two some privacy.

"Will do," Hizashi gave a weak laugh, closing the door behind her. Releasing a heavy exhale through his nose, he turned to Shouta who was sitting on one of the infirmary beds with Mochi. He appeared to shrink into it, wanting nothing more than to hide under the covers.

"Shouta, you already knew this was going to happen, but we need to talk," Hizashi sternly said, his voice leveled at a low tone in contrast to his usual up-beat radio persona.

Shouta wanted to hug Mochi for support but forewent the action in fear of hurting his friend. He instead fiddled with his sweatshirt, taking a deep breath as Hizashi pulled up a chair to sit by the bedside.

"What were you thinking leaving the house like that? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to wander the streets by yourself, at night no less?" Hizashi sighed, rubbing his temple. "I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if Nemuri and I had been a second later."

Shouta held his breath, his gaze fixed on the slow motions of Mochi's body who was quietly resting. He didn't want to think about what would have happened either, he noted, picturing the worst-case scenario for his friend.

"What was so important that you had to sneak out without telling me?" Hizashi asked, taking off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Shouta felt tears well up in his eyes, rapidly blinking them away to keep them from falling. He had promised Nemuri that he would explain himself and had been mentally rehearsing his apology for over an hour, but he still didn't trust himself to speak.

"You wouldn't leave without a reason. I know that much," Hizashi quietly said. "Please, Shouta. Please tell me what's going on."

"You were angry," Shouta managed to breath.

"Of course I was Shouta. I'm angry because I was worried," Hizashi sighed.

"No, you were angry before that," Shouta whispered, shaking his head. He glanced at the voice hero, catching the puzzled look on his face. "You were upset."

"Shouta, I don't understand what you're saying," Hizashi gently said, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.

Shouta took another shaky breath before meeting Hizashi's eyes.

"I'm too much trouble. You shouldn't have to take care of me," Shouta finally said, feeling the tears he had been desperately holding back slide down his cheeks. "You're too nice to do anything about it so I had to go or else you'd keep being upset with me around."

He let out a soft whimper, rubbing his eyes with both hands as Hizashi gaped at him.

"You're always busy and you look really tired whenever we're together. And all I do is give you more work," Shouta rambled in a tiny voice. "It's not fair. Even though you're a hero, it's not fair that you have to work so hard because of me."

"Shouta, is that what's been bothering you?" Hizashi asked.

The young erasure hero nodded his head in surrender.

"You can give me back to dad. I'm okay with that. I'm sorry I've been so much trouble for you," Shouta cried, his voice cracking as a sob escaped between his words. "I like being around you and Nemuri and Mochi because everyone is so nice. But I know that it can't stay this way so it's okay to send me back to my old home."

"Is that what you were doing by yourself? You were looking for your old apartment?" Hizashi said in astonishment.

Shouta nodded again, squeezing his eyes shut as he bit his lip to prevent anymore sobs from slipping out.

Hizashi opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, unable to form the right words with the new information he was processing. He covered his face with both hands, bitterly chuckling against them.

"This is what the problem was? Are you for real?" Hizashi quietly laughed. "You're such an idiot, Shouta."

Shouta flinched.

"A huge idiot. Just like me," Hizashi said through muffled hands.

He wasn't sure if it was because of his blurry vision from crying, but when Hizashi finally removed his hands from his face, Shouta saw tears forming at the corners of the voice hero's eyes.

"Come here, Shouta," Hizashi said with outstretched arms.

Shouta stared at Hizashi's open arms for a moment before running into the embrace, desperately clinging to his leather jacket. He gave up holding back any sounds and sobbed against the warmth of Hizashi's chest.

"I was never upset with having to take care of you," Hizashi explained, sniffing quietly against Shouta's hair. "It's true that I've been tired for the last few days because of all my work, but that doesn't mean I don't want to have you around."

"But last night… you said it couldn't stay like this forever," Shouta said between hiccups.

"I was afraid that I wasn't being a good guardian," Hizashi said. "I don't seem to spend enough time with you. Between dropping you off at work and then leaving you with Nemuri when you're at home; I felt… inadequate. I didn't feel like I was doing enough. It felt like I was barely even taking care of you. It made me feel so useless."

Shouta buried his face into Hizashi's jacket, shaking his head. Hizashi? Inadequate? There was no way, Shouta thought, crying heavily into the black leather. Hizashi was the best thing that could have ever happened to him. It hurt him deeply to hear him talk about himself that way.

"Things are different with you around like this. That's true, but I would never want you anywhere else," Hizashi continued. "You might not see it this way, but I actually need you just as much as you think you need me. So no more holding back secrets like this again, okay?"

Shouta gave a timid nod in response, gasping between a sob as Hizashi pressed him close to his chest.

"'zashi, too," he muttered as Hizashi kissed his forehead.

"Yeah, 'zashi too," Hizashi repeated earnestly, chuckling deeply at the exchange. He took Shouta's pinky and gave it a gentle squeeze with his own. "I promise."

Shouta nodded in confirmation, resting his head a little less heavily as they sat together in comfortable silence. As his eyes drooped, he realized he hadn't slept since the night before. Lulled by the sound of Hizashi's even breathing, he closed his eyes and laid his cheek flat against the voice hero's jacket.

"Get some rest, Shouta," Hizashi whispered. "It's barely even noon and I'm exhausted, too."

"Then stay," Shouta simply stated, slowly drifting off to sleep.

He heard Hizashi let out an affectionate huff, rubbing small circles on his back until he fell asleep.


	4. Birthday

Hizashi tipped back his mug, downing his fifth cup of coffee for the day. He was in no mood to lecture, choosing to give his class some exercise problems to work on that would be due tomorrow instead. His students had noticed his stark change in personality in contrast to his usually up-beat attitude that sometimes left them dizzy and overwhelmed.

The class sat quietly at their desks scribbling in their notebooks. Hizashi appreciated the considerate action, deciding that he would redact his scheduled pop quiz that he had originally planned for tomorrow.

Half way through his last lesson, Hizashi received a text from Nemuri.

 _[2:36] I'm taking Shou-chan back to your place so don't worry about picking him up. We've all had a long day. I'll see you later at your apartment._

Hizashi texted back a quick thanks, pocketing his phone to continue grading some papers.

He absently thought of Shouta's state, wondering how much longer the effects would last. During his late-night hero work with the police force, he had learned that the power was luckily not permanent, but aside from that, the duration of the effects remained unclear. Tracking down the person with the age regression quirk proved to be a hassle, the villain's reputation being as underground as Shouta's own hero work.

After the events of today, however, Hizashi promised himself that once Shouta reverted back to his 20-year-old self he would sit down with him and have a much needed conversation about their relationship. The near-death experience of his best friend made him realize that if anything had happened to him that would prevent Hizashi from ever speaking to him again, he'd live with too many regrets for the rest of his life.

The voice hero sighed, pushing the thoughts aside. Shouta was still a four-year-old. He'd revisit these thoughts once the effects of the quirk wore off. Right now he needed to make sure that Shouta was well cared for and as far away from danger as he could possibly be.

Once the school bell rang to signify the end of the day, Hizashi made his way to the teacher's lounge to grab one more cup of coffee before heading home. He had reasoned that he desperately needed the extra caffeine to continue searching for the person with the age regression quirk tonight. His body would hate him for this later, he bitterly thought, taking another sip from his mug as he climbed into his car.

Hizashi made a quick stop at a restaurant a few blocks away from his apartment to pick up some curry rice dishes for dinner. Carrying the take-out boxes in a plastic bag, he lazily unlocked his front door, muttering a short "I'm home" as he stepped inside.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HIZASHI!"

Hizashi screamed as poppers resounded against the walls of the small apartment, dropping the bag he had been holding effectively spilling the curry onto the floor of the front entrance.

"Um, what the hell, Hizashi," Nemuri flatly said, staring at the voice hero who had held up his fists in a stance that vaguely reminded her of a video game.

"I thought you said he'd like the surprise, Nemuri," Shouta worriedly said, dropping the party popper he had been holding to run to hug Hizashi's leg in comfort.

"Wh-what's going on?" Hizashi asked in confusion, standing in the doorway as he noted the party decorations in his apartment.

"Don't tell me you forgot your own birthday," Nemuri sighed, rubbing her temple. "I thought I made the surprise too obvious when I told you I'd pick up Shouta and head to your place first, but as always, you prove to me that you're a huge forgetful idiot."

"My birthday," Hizashi dazedly murmured, trying to remember what the date was.

"It's your birthday, Hizashi," Shouta reminded, tilting his head up to pout at the man who had folded his arms and closed his eyes in concentration. "You told me a week ago. I made you a present and everything."

Hizashi's eyes immediately lit up, remembering the promise they had made at the hospital the night Shouta had been hit by the age regression quirk.

"Unless that was a lie, too," Shouta added dejectedly, stuffing his hands into his oversized sweatshirt in disappointment. "Just like how you didn't like the surprise."

Hizashi sputtered, flailing his arms in the air as he met Nemuri's intense glare of contempt.

"N-n-n-no! That's right! My birthday! Yes, my birthday! Of course it's my birthday! I was just _pretending_ that I forgot!" Hizashi rambled, loudly laughing with his hands on his hips in fake triumph. "Yes, that's what I was doing! I didn't forget! I was just turning the tables on you guys and it looks like it worked!"

"Please stop talking," Nemuri quietly huffed, shielding her face with her hand. "You look like a chicken that just laid its first egg."

Hizashi hurriedly scooped up Shouta into his arms, giving him a quick hug when the four-year-old didn't seem convinced.

"Liar," Shouta muttered, pulling on Hizashi's cheek in retaliation. "You forgot."

"Okay, ouch! I'm sorry!" Hizashi cried, rubbing his sore cheek after Shouta released it with a huff. "It's just with all my work lately, remembering my birthday was the last thing on my mind."

Hizashi felt a twinge of regret when Shouta deflated at his words, sinking into his arms and pouting his lower lip in guilt.

"Thank you for remembering for me though," Hizashi quickly added, giving the child a quick peck on the cheek. "I may have forgotten that it was today, but I definitely remember wanting to celebrate it with my favorite little listener."

Shouta brightened from the compliment, smiling awkwardly at the unexpected praise.

"Hey, don't forget about your favorite hero, mister," Nemuri teased, playfully flicking the voice hero in the forehead.

"You're kidding, you managed to get All Might to my party?!" Hizashi cheekily said, receiving a stronger hit to the head.

"So that's the thanks I get for preparing your stupid party," Nemuri jeered, easily taking Hizashi into a choke hold.

"Okay, okay! I give up! I'm sorry!" Hizashi squeaked, holding the four-year-old even tighter when they all tumbled to the floor together. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of warmth in his chest when he heard Shouta giggle against his leather jacket.

"If it wasn't your birthday, I'd make you clean up that mess you made, too," Nemuri huffed, walking over to the kitchen to grab some paper towels and a wet cloth to clean up the curry Hizashi had spilled. Shouta wiggled out of Hizashi's arms to follow Nemuri, holding up his hands next to her to indicate that he wanted to help. Once Nemuri handed him the roll of paper towels, he scampered back over to the entrance way and carefully tore off a large sheet to pick up any stray potatoes that had escaped from the plastic bag.

"We're lucky we have such a good little helper," Nemuri chuckled, kneeling beside the four-year-old to help him wipe up the mess.

"Yeah, we really are," Hizashi agreed with a smile, sitting cross-legged on the floor as he watched the two clean up the curry. His smile grew wider when he saw Shouta wipe his face with his sleeve, accidentally swiping some curry onto his nose and cheek.

After cleaning up the mess and changing Shouta into a cleaner shirt, Hizashi was led to the kitchen table where an arrangement of food was laid out for him. There was a mixture of Japanese food and American food strewn across the table. It felt strange having a platter of sashimi next to a plate of macaroni and cheese decorated with buffalo wings.

Granted, this was something Hizashi had bugged Shouta to do for him ever since high school. He loved the idea of mixing Japanese and American culture and he was grateful for the gesture but felt slightly overwhelmed with the strange assortment of food.

As Hizashi began to fill his plate up, Shouta perked up, running out of the room before returning with a pink conical birthday hat decorated with ugly green polka dots.

"Nemuri said you wanted to wear one for your birthday so we stopped by a store on the way home to buy you one," Shouta said, holding it up earnestly as Hizashi narrowed his eyes at his coworker who returned the glare with a cheeky grin.

"Oh, you shouldn't have, Shouta," Hizashi said with a forceful chuckle, mouthing to Nemuri that he would get her back for this. After seeing Shouta's eyes light up from wearing the hat, Hizashi decided that he could try to tolerate his new hideous accessory.

The three of them spent an hour talking, even though it was mainly Nemuri telling embarrassing stories about Hizashi. Four-year-old Shouta listened intently to how Hizashi had once tried to woo a girl by singing an American song while poorly break dancing in the cafeteria, or about the time he had wanted his pet goldfish to get some fresh air, so he took it to the public pool in a baggie.

Hizashi sputtered at every embarrassing tale, cheeks reddening even though Shouta had already known all of these things as an adult. After all, Shouta had been there patting his back after his rejection and had even bought Hizashi a new goldfish when he had accidentally lost it at the pool.

After stuffing themselves with food and what seemed like a never-ending spew of embarrassing stories, Nemuri and Shouta finally dragged Hizashi to the living room. Mochi was sitting quietly on the couch in a small cat bed. Shouta had undoubtedly tucked a blanket around the cat to ensure its comfort.

As he took a seat on the couch, the two ran back into the kitchen. With them out of the room, Hizashi secretly pulled off the ugly birthday hat, hoping that no one would notice it missing. When Mochi stared at him with unblinking blue eyes, Hizashi held a finger to his lips, silently asking the cat to keep his secret. It gave him a soft meow before closing its eyes and lying its head down onto the edge of its bed.

Hizashi heard a match being lit followed by the faint smell of wax. A minute later, the two came back out with a vanilla cake decorated with the simple words "Happy Birthday Hizashi" written in green icing.

As Nemuri placed the cake on the table in front of him, the two began to sing for Hizashi's birthday. Hizashi felt his cheeks grow warm as Shouta sang with his hands held in front of his shirt, stumbling over his words a few times during the simple song.

"You're up, Hizashi," Nemuri said after the song ended. "Close your eyes, make a wish, and blow out that candle."

Closing his eyes, he made a show of thinking of a wish, folding his arms and humming in concentration. After a while, he nodded his head, opened his eyes, and blew out the candle. He jumped in his seat as Nemuri released another party popper, his eyebrow twitching when he was met with another cheeky grin. Mochi had also stuck its head up momentarily, squinting its eyes at Nemuri in disapproval.

"Before we cut the cake, we have to give the guest of honor his presents," Nemuri sang, ruffling Shouta's hair as he straightened his back at the mention of the gifts. He ran into his room and came out carrying a gift in green wrapping paper with an envelope slipped under the decorative bow.

"Shouta put in a lot of work to make all this so the only acceptable comment is 'I love it'," she winked as Hizashi felt his chest grow tight.

"Nemuri helped, too," Shouta added, crawling onto the sofa to kneel by Hizashi's side, carefully as to not disturb Mochi who had closed its eyes again in an attempt to sleep.

"Thank you. I can tell that I'm going to love it already," Hizashi smiled, gently taking out the card and placing it on the table for later.

He gingerly unwrapped the gift, finding a brown album decorated with the words "Happy 21st Birthday" on the cover. Flipping through the contents, he found that there were not only photos that had been taken in the past week, but also quite a few of him when he had been in high school with Shouta. There were photos of them competing in the sports festival and a few where they had prepared for the school cultural festival. There was even a photo of Shouta sleeping at his desk and the entire class posing next to him for a group shot.

"They were a little hard to find, but I called in a few favors from your old classmates and managed to get a hold of them," Nemuri whispered into his ear when Hizashi lingered on the photos of them in UA.

At the end of the album, there were two photos: one of them being him feeding four-year-old Shouta from a bentou at school and another with them the same age, peacefully sleeping while leaning against the other's shoulder. The words _"May there be many more happy times shared between us for the upcoming years"_ was printed in fancy font underneath the photos.

Hizashi had to remind himself to breathe as he smiled at the face of the man he had been pining after, who was shown leaning heavily against his shoulder in the photo, the lower half of his body still covered in his trademark yellow sleeping bag.

"Nemuri wouldn't tell me, but who's the one with black hair who always looks tired next to you?" Shouta asked, flipping to another page and pointing to a photo where he was a teenager, looking mildly disgusted with Hizashi braiding his hair. "He's in a lot of the pictures and you look really happy in them, too. He must be really important."

Hizashi felt his chest grow tight, taking a shaky breath as he met Shouta's honest eyes.

"Yeah, he is," Hizashi agreed softly, pulling Shouta into his lap. "We were classmates in high school."

"Do you still see him?" Shouta pressed, tilting his head backwards to stare up at the voice hero in question. "If it's not too late, maybe we can invite him to your birthday party."

Hizashi felt a lump in his throat as he rested his chin on Shouta's mop of black hair. He could see Nemuri nervously fidgeting from the corner of his eye.

"Maybe next year," Hizashi said, sighing quietly. "He's not really… _himself_ right now."

"Oh," Shouta murmured in response, sadly reaching out to touch one of the photos of himself in the album. "Sorry, I won't ask anymore questions about him."

"It's alright, Shouta. I get to celebrate my birthday with you and Nemuri, which already makes me _super_ happy!" Hizashi hastily said, quickly changing his tone into a more cheerful one. "I'm having a lot of fun and this present is the best thing anyone has ever given me!"

"I told you he would love it, Shou-chan!" Nemuri chimed, taking Hizashi's lead to steer the conversation elsewhere. "Looks like all that hard-work paid off!"

Shouta smiled, blushing slightly when Hizashi affectionately ruffled his hair.

"Wait, you have to see the card, too!" Shouta added, pointing to the red envelope on the table next to the wrapping paper.

"Shou-chan worked on that one all by himself. Well, I helped him write a few words, but the rest was all his idea," Nemuri said as Hizashi gently pried the envelope open to slide out the card.

Flower patterns made from construction paper decorated the cover. The words "Happy Birthday, Hizashi" were messily written in bold letters. He took a shaky breath when he read the inside of the card.

 ** _I love my new family. Thank you for being my hero. -Shouta_**

There was a crayon drawing of him holding Shouta's hand. Mochi had also been included, matching Shouta's size as it stood next to him on all fours. Nemuri was drawn with a peace sign, a large happy face printed on the figure.

Hizashi felt tears forming in his eyes. He hastily took off his glasses and wiped them away with the sleeve of his jacket.

"Do you not like it?" Shouta asked, eyebrows furrowing in worry when he saw Hizashi bite back a sob.

"No, Shouta. It's perfect," Hizashi choked, pulling the young erasure hero into a tight embrace. He couldn't stop the shaky breaths that followed, a few stray tears rolling down his cheeks. He felt Nemuri take a seat next to them, pulling them both into another hug.

"Happy birthday, Hizashi," she whispered, brushing her nose against his blond hair.

After taking a few moments to compose himself, Hizashi scrubbed his eyes one last time and flashed his brightest smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to dampen the mood, but the gifts were so perfect that I felt extremely moved!" Hizashi yelled, dawning his announcer persona once more. "Come on, let's cut that cake. My birthday wouldn't be complete without us digging into it."

After eating the cake, the three played a board game until the sun set. Nemuri decided to call it a night when Shouta began to yawn, leaning a little more heavily on Hizashi as he tried to protest in vain. As Nemuri and Hizashi boxed up any leftover food, Shouta carefully lifted Mochi into his arms, slowly bringing the cat into his bedroom to tuck it into his covers in preparation for bedtime.

Once Nemuri took her leave, Hizashi and Shouta went through their bathroom routine. After Hizashi had taken a quick shower, he stepped out to find Shouta waiting for him outside the door, greeting him with a small smile as he hugged his cat plush.

The two made their way to Shouta's bedroom. Mochi was already fast asleep so Shouta took extra care slipping into bed. As Hizashi tucked the four-year-old in, he reached out and grabbed Hizashi's collar before he could pull away.

"Can you sleep in here tonight?" Shouta shyly asked, sitting up in bed with wide pleading eyes.

Hizashi paused before gently smiling at the child.

"It's like you read my mind," Hizashi chuckled. "To be honest, I don't really want to leave you alone right now after what happened last night."

"Sorry," Shouta sheepishly muttered as he scooted closer to Mochi to make room for Hizashi.

"Never do that again, silly," Hizashi murmured in response, carefully crawling under the covers and pulling Shouta close to his chest. With Shouta being so small, the bed felt snug, enveloping them perfectly with a bit of room to spare.

"G'night, 'zashi," Shouta whispered, his eyes already drooping.

"Good night, Shouta," Hizashi returned, focusing on the warmth he felt from Shouta's small body. A minute hadn't even passed before he felt that the boy had fallen asleep in his arms. His gaze slowly shifted to Mochi, its back against the wall curled up next to Shouta's head.

"I guess I owe you for once," Hizashi muttered at the sleeping cat before nuzzling further into the pillow. "Remind me later to buy you those expensive treats for taking care of Shouta."

Letting out a short huff, Hizashi closed his eyes, falling asleep before reaching the count of ten.

* * *

Hizashi groaned as he felt light hitting his face. He faintly recalled Shouta buying black-out curtains for his room, one of the few expenses the man had been willing to splurge on to sleep in complete darkness.

"What's the point of having them if he never closes them," Hizashi quietly complained to himself, bringing up his hand to scrub his eyes.

He felt something shift in his arms. Hizashi paused, noting that someone's leg was hooked around him. There was no way a small four-year-old Shouta had legs long enough to reach his own. He nervously opened his eyes and found the twenty-year-old erasure hero sleeping next to him, his face barely even two inches away from his own.

The man had thrown an arm around Hizashi at some point in the night, pressing himself close to the voice hero. Hizashi felt a wave of relief wash over him. The age regression quirk had finally worn off, he thankfully thought. But there was another pressing matter at hand.

Shouta was completely and utterly naked in bed with him.

The voice hero felt his face grow red, the blush reaching his ears when Shouta rubbed his short scruff against Hizashi's neck, mumbling incoherently in his sleep. The clothes Shouta had worn must have torn off after he returned to his normal size. Hizashi must have _really_ been tired to have slept through that.

With Shouta clinging to him so tightly and his mind whirling from embarrassment, Hizashi did the most reasonable thing he could think of.

He screamed and rolled off the bed, falling flat on his ass, effectively waking up the erasure hero. Mochi lazily picked up its head, glaring at him for making a ruckus in the morning.

"What the hell, Hizashi?" Shouta mumbled, his words slurred from just waking up. He sat up in bed, the blanket rolling off his shoulders and pooling at his legs. He lazily glanced at his naked body, his eyes slowly trailing to meet Hizashi who was sputtering on his bedroom floor. Shouta's eyes slowly widened, a light red dusting his cheeks as he suddenly felt more awake.

"What the _hell_ , Hizashi?!" he hissed more vehemently, quickly wrapping himself in his blanket to cocoon himself from his roommate.

"Sh-Shouta, it's not what you think!" Hizashi said, waving his arms around in the air.

"What am I even _supposed_ to be thinking right now?!" Shouta seethed, completely confused as his eyes landed on multiple cat posters decorating his bedroom walls that he was sure he never bought.

When Mochi softly meowed at him in greeting, Shouta lowered his blanket and gaped at the splint adorning the cat's leg.

"What did you do to Mochi?!" Shouta harshly mumbled, taking the cat into his arms as it energetically rubbed itself all over him. Suddenly remembering that he was completely naked, Shouta hastily pulled the covers back over himself. Mochi stuck its head out of the blanket, bumping itself against Shouta's chin with a content purr.

"Wait, you don't remember?" Hizashi breathed, blinking in astonishment at Shouta's red face.

"I… I'm not sure," Shouta admitted, rubbing his eye with the palm of his hand. "Everything is a little hazy, like it was some kind of long dream."

Hizashi sat up a little straighter, immediately remembering the promise he had made to himself yesterday regarding his relationship with his best friend.

"Shouta, I have something important I need to tell you," he earnestly said, his heart beating hard against his chest.

"Can you at least wait for me to put on some pants before you tell me?" Shouta said, wrapping the blanket a little tighter against his body as Hizashi felt his face turn three shades of red.

"Oh, right," Hizashi mumbled, clumsily pushing himself to his feet. "I'm gonna… I'll just… I'll go make some coffee."

Hizashi stumbled out of the room, closing the door behind him. Leaning heavily on the door with his back, Hizashi groaned into his hands, willing the redness in his face to fade. So he saw Shouta naked in bed, something he may have fantasized about every so often. He really needed to get his mind out of the gutter and stop acting like a lovestruck fourteen-year-old boy holding hands with his lover for the first time.

Taking a deep breath, he made his way to the bathroom to freshen up. He brushed his teeth and washed his face with cold water. Tying his hair into a messy bun, he stepped out to the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker. He poured two cups, one for himself and another for his roommate. He placed them on the kitchen table, sighing as he took a seat.

Hizashi pulled out his phone and texted Nemuri the situation, informing his friend that the effects of the quirk had worn off. He immediately received a text not even a minute later with a thumbs-up emoji followed by a winking emoji. Hizashi never understood how Nemuri was so intuitive about these things, reddening as he locked his phone after seeing another message with multiple hearts and of a kissing emoji.

He heard Shouta fiddling in the bathroom, stepping out once he was finished to retreat to his room when he heard Mochi crying in the bedroom.

"What's up with you today? You're so clingy," Shouta muttered as he walked out into the kitchen with the cat practically hugging his arm. He was wearing a loose black tank top and a pair of pink sweatpants that he had never bothered returning to his roommate.

"I made you a cup," Hizashi nervously said, gesturing for Shouta to take a seat. "Black with no cream and sugar. Disgusting, just the way you like it."

"Thanks," Shouta sarcastically replied, finally managing to get Mochi to release his arm as he placed him into the cat bed that was on the living room couch.

"How are you feeling?" Hizashi began as Shouta took a seat at the table, sniffing his black coffee.

"Tired," he replied, taking a sip form his cup.

"Of course you are," Hizashi sighed, leaning his chin on the palm of his hand as he studied his best friend. "Do you not remember anything that happened in the past week?"

"A little bit more than before I woke up," Shouta shrugged. "It's getting a little clearer. I might be able to remember the important parts if you give me a bit more time."

"So what exactly _do_ you remember then?" Hizashi asked, stirring his coffee with a spoon.

Shouta paused, staring at a spot on the kitchen table as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck in an attempt to recollect his thoughts.

"I'm not sure. It's all jumbled together."

"It wasn't exactly the best week of my life," Hizashi weakly laughed. "You were a cute kid though, running around with that little cat backpack I bought for you."

Shouta's eyes slowly widened in horror as something seemed to click in his head.

"H-hey, it wasn't that bad!" Hizashi hastily added. "But that's not the important thing! Do you really not remember the villain who attacked you?"

"A little," Shouta said, holding his mug in a slightly tighter grip. "I remember the deserted dumping grounds of my old apartment complex. It's a little fuzzy, but yeah, I think I remember him attacking me."

"I remember fighting back and feeling scared," he continued, his voice lowering. "Mochi was there, too. And you and Nemuri."

Hizashi nodded, stiffening as he remembered how much he was shaking yesterday when he barely made it to Shouta's rescue.

"I know you did a lot for me in the past week and even though I'm still trying to remember it all, I know it must have been hard for you," Shouta muttered. "Thank you, Hizashi, for helping me through that."

Hizashi smiled at the rare gratitude. He took a deep breath and met Shouta's grey eyes.

"I did a lot of thinking after yesterday," Hizashi said. "About how close of a call it was for you, how I might not have been able to find you in time; things like that."

"Hizashi…"

"I was terrified. There's no other way of putting it. It made me realize how afraid I was of losing you," Hizashi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know our line of hero work is dangerous, but I never really thought about how easy it could be to have either of us being killed on duty."

Shouta's mouth was drawn into a thin line as his eyes softened. He patiently waited for Hizashi to continue.

"Shouta, I've only known you for a few years, but I want you to know that you're very important to me. Losing you would be more than I could handle," Hizashi said, picturing himself returning to an empty, cold apartment.

"You're important to me too, Hizashi," Shouta reassured, reddening slightly from his confession.

"That's why I want to tell you something that I've been thinking about since the second year of high school," Hizashi shakily breathed, averting his eyes to the coffee mug in his hands.

"Okay…" Shouta nervously said, his eyes meeting his roommate's when the blond finally tilted his head up to face him.

"I like you, Shouta," Hizashi said with a steady voice. "I was too afraid to say anything because I didn't know how you would react, but after yesterday I realized I really needed to tell you. It's okay if you don't return my feelings and I hope it doesn't make things awkward between us, but it's just something I really needed you to know."

Hizashi could feel his cheeks grow warm. His hands were shaking as he held his coffee mug.

"You like me," Shouta repeated in a whisper. His usually stoic face broke out into a soft smile as he scoffed. "Unbelievable."

"Hey, don't make fun of me," Hizashi muttered, fidgeting in his seat. "Let's see you try confessing to the person you've been pining after for years."

"Alright then," Shouta softly said. "I like you, too Hizashi."

Hizashi hoped that he hadn't cracked the handle on his mug when he squeaked in surprise.

"Y-you do?!" Hizashi stood up from his seat like an excited puppy. "You're not joking, right Shouta? This isn't a dream? Oh, who cares if it's a dream. No take-backs! You like me and that's final!"

"Calm down, Hizashi. You're not five," Shouta winced, covering his mouth with his hand as he blushed at his roommate. "Is it really that hard to believe?"

"Well you're not the easiest person to read, Shouta," Hizashi whined. "How was I supposed to know about this?!"

"Well how was I supposed to know that you were gay after seeing you get rejected from so many girls in high school?" Shouta retorted with a hint of jealousy.

"They probably all knew I was gay before I did," Hizashi muttered, deflating into his seat in defeat.

"Those girls always did seem to have a knack for figuring these things out," Shouta murmured in agreement.

"Even after I realized I liked you I didn't think you would return my feelings. That's why I tried to make myself like someone else during all that time. Big help that was," he muttered bitterly.

"Well I _do_ like you, alright? I don't want you courting other people anymore," Shouta said with a small pout. "I hated watching you chase after them with that stupid face of yours grinning like an idiot."

Hizashi flinched, guiltily fiddling with a small hole in his shirt.

"And I hated myself even more because I wish that had been me you were chasing after," Shouta mumbled, his pale skin turning into a bright red as he turned his face to stare at anywhere but Hizashi.

Hizashi gaped at his best friend, his green eyes instantly lighting up once he processed the words.

"Shoutaaaaa~" Hizashi jeered, cheekily grinning at his flustered friend. "Don't worry. Now that I know how you feel, I'll put in twice the amount of effort to win your heart. How does that sound?"

"Horrible," Shouta said in a deadpan voice, his red face betraying how he really felt.

"I see that you're still as mean to me as ever," Hizashi playfully whined, walking over to his new boyfriend to give him a hug. He gave him a quick peck on the cheek, his smile growing wider as Shouta's face reddened to a darker shade.

"Don't expect me to change just because we're going out now," Shouta muttered, returning the kiss on Hizashi's forehead.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Hizashi said, rubbing his cheek into the crook of Shouta's neck, secretly pleased with himself when he felt his boyfriend shiver from the gesture.

He felt Shouta gently push him away. Just as he was about to protest, Shouta leaned in to meet Hizashi's lips with his own. The voice hero contently followed the motion, languidly returning the kiss while feeling his heart flutter.

When Shouta finally pulled away, he couldn't help breaking out into a tooth grinning smile. The ups and downs of last week had definitely been worth it.


End file.
